USA 
United Kingdom
According to Inclusive Boards’ 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in Tech 2020 Report, in the UK tech sector only 19% of workers are from a working-class background compared to 33.3% of the nationwide population.
In contrast, its analysis found that those with parents from a professional-managerial background made up 45% of workers in the sector compared to 31.2% of the nationwide population.
The same story sadly spans myriad other sectors too. Research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC), for example, highlighted class imbalances across the UK’s creative industries; in the UK civil service, only 18% of senior staff come from a low socioeconomic background, according to a report entitled Navigating the Labyrinth. Other analyses suggest much the same when it comes to managerial roles, jobs in law, IT and advertising.
Speaking on the 2017 release of Social Mobility Commission research, which found that people from working class backgrounds who get a professional job are paid an average of £6,800 (17%) less each year than colleagues from more affluent backgrounds, Alan Milburn, the organisation’s chair said: “Too many people from working class backgrounds not only face barriers getting into professions, but also barriers to getting on. How much you are paid should be determined by your ability, not your background.”
